Please recommend a small hall PA.

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Kroy

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Can anyone recommend a really sweet sounding small hall PA? Volume wise, I want something in the same bracket as the Mackie SRM450s (12in), but nicer sounding.

Active monitors would be more convenient, but if anyone thinks any Passive+Amp combinations would be better I'm open to suggestions.

Thanks
 
Kroy said:
Can anyone recommend a really sweet sounding small hall PA? Volume wise, I want something in the same bracket as the Mackie SRM450s (12in), but nicer sounding.

Active monitors would be more convenient, but if anyone thinks any Passive+Amp combinations would be better I'm open to suggestions.

Thanks
Click to expand...

I doubt you'll find anything in the same bracket as the SRM450 that sounds better. Some prefer the JBL sound - it's a little different I guess, but not better to my ears.

If your experience with the Mackies has you looking for something 'better" then probably there is a weak link in your signal chain that needs tending to. A set of SRM450s just isn't likely to be the weak link. People dream about these.

So - describe for us the rest of your PA chain from the microphones on down. And tell us how you're using these - what kind of music and so forth. If you're looking for a death metal PA, then you'll probably overdrive them and should go for 15" speakers. Other than that, it's hard to find anything that will beat them.
 
Are you looking at just speakers or a whole rig?

Do you have a sub? And how much (like what instrumenhts etc) do you push through the PA?

If you are looking at alternatives to Mackies, you could do worse than checking out the DB Technologies Opera series. For a really clean, detailed sound, the EV SXA100+ are excellent. Both could do with a sub, but then again, same for Mackies.
 
a portable P.A

I use a portable P.A. as I do solo stuff I use a fender passport PD-150 deluxe 500.00 I have played some big halls and medium rooms and It is super loud and clear I love it as it pops together like carry luggage, I was amazed at how loud and crisp the sound is, hay its a Fender product they know speakers, I prefer the amp to be separate as most do, but it is quiet and has everything I need check it out.
Dan
 
I also use a Passport PD250 plus and it does what it does very well. But it is not in the same league as my Mackie based system (SRM450s, Peavey wedge monitors, Crown monitor amp, Mackie Onyx 1640, outboard compressors / limiters, outboard main and monitor EQ, outboard Lexicon effects). Mostly I use the Passport as sidefill monitors for the band, but it is designed for a solo or duo act in a small club and delivers very well in that applciation. I don't use its reverb at all though.

I expect the OP has clarity or EQ issues that can't be fixed at the speaker end of things; they have to be addressed earlier in the signal chain.
 
I could almost recommend the Yamaha Stagepass 300, except they built the thing with 6 ohm speakers and amplifier load, thus forcing you to use the speakers/head ONLY with each other. The 500 does have four ohm stuff, and more power/bigger drivers, so it is no doubt better for at least those three features.
 
Kroy said:
Can anyone recommend a really sweet sounding small hall PA? Volume wise, I want something in the same bracket as the Mackie SRM450s (12in), but nicer sounding.

Active monitors would be more convenient, but if anyone thinks any Passive+Amp combinations would be better I'm open to suggestions.

Thanks
Click to expand...

How big is the hall and how many people that will be there during a show ??
 
i know of nothing that outperforms mackie 450's in their price range. especially considering their price includes amplification. i think we are all wondering what you are trying to accomplish that the mackies can't do? do you need to hit more people than a pair of 450's can? do you need more wide dispersion of sound? does it need more vertical dispersion?

for smaller events, i've been very pleased with the jbl vrx 932's. they are like a mini line array. you can floor stand 2 stacked and hang even more. since they are fixed angle, there is no computation necessary for those who aren't that concerned with that sort of thing. I'm guessing budget is a concern and these little guys cost about 3 times as much as a single 450.

if you need something that melts faces and you are just going to eq the crap out of it anyway, see if you can't score yourself some used EV t252's.

as far as amps go, POWER POWER POWER! buy the biggest amps you can get. i don't care if you are amplifying violins for a church. underpowering speakers is what blows drivers. i'm a big fan of the qsc powerlights and plx. they are a bit pricey but if you have to lift a rack of em yourself all the time they are worth it. if you never have to lift em, then check out the behringer stuff. it's heavy but i've actually had to power clair bros wedges with a rack of em and they did fine. (shhh, don't tell anybody) ;)
 
Carvin

I will make a recommendation for a Carvin system. I have a Carvin 620 series that I use for our acoustic show and it's used alot and has stood up to coffee houses for the past 7 years. The sound is crisp and clean and we get alot of compliments on how the system sounds. I have a recording studio and I have a Carvin 1200 series that is in the band practice room, a Carvin Studio Mate in the recording room, and a 16 channel Carvin sound board for the band along with Carvin amps. They have a large variety to choose from and one that will fit your needs. They stand behind their product and the prices are reasonable. Hey what have you got to lose, check out their website www.carvin.com and have a look...


thanks
Danny
 
stevieb said:
I could almost recommend the Yamaha Stagepass 300, except they built the thing with 6 ohm speakers and amplifier load, thus forcing you to use the speakers/head ONLY with each other. .
Click to expand...

Not quite true. Any amp that can handle a 4ohm load can easily handle 6ohms. You aren't limited to putting 4 or 8ohms on an amp channel just because the ratings are listed that way...

So you could use the speakers with another amp, or the amp with some 8ohm speakers...the problems would come trying to add more speakers into the system...
 
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